Everyone Saw It Coming
by Lost Flame
Summary: These 10 people may have seen it coming but none of them had been able to stop Todd's fall. Only slash if you really want it to be and are willing to squint. Warning: Character death.


Following a death or a suicide at a school it is important for the school to offer counseling and help the friends of the victims learn to cope with the sudden loss. Students are very sensitive at such a time and counselors are instructed to look for students that they or the faculty are concerned may imitate the deceased and take their own life or participate in self-destructive behavior. However, Welton Academy doesn't seem to be the type of school to do this sort of thing. Nor does it seem to have done anything for the survivors beside put them in a situation to increase their stress, anxiety and guilt.

I loved this movie and was touched by its ending. But no matter how many times I watched it, I could not image Todd surviving his friend's death. Especially not when the two people with the best hope of helping are expelled and fired within a week.

This story can either be taken as friendship or VERY light slash if you want it to be. As I am personally a Neil/Todd fan I couldn't resist putting some hints of it in but in the end it is easy to read as just strong friendship and a lonely Todd.

EDIT: Corrected the brother's name. I didn't know it was said so I had just made one up, just like I made up Todd's mother's name. Thank you CorkyConlon and HeadinTheClouds13 for correcting me.

* * *

Charlie was the first person to see it; three days after they initially received the news of Neil's death. Neil had been his best friend but Charlie knew that the one hurting the most was Todd. Every night after lights out, Charlie would sneak out of his room and across the hall into Todd's. If the faculty advisor next door ever heard he showed no signs, though maybe he just felt sorry for the boy who had yet to stop crying at night.

The first two nights Todd would cling to Charlie like a drowning man would to a life preserver. His grip secure in the fabric of Charlie's pajamas and his head in the other boy's chest. The front of the boy's pajamas were always wet and covered in snot by morning but he never once complained about it. He didn't even try to correct Todd when he called him Charlie instead of Nuwanda. Charlie would just hold him as he cried, occasionally letting a few tears fall himself and cursing Neil for doing this to Todd, and to him.

But the third night was different. When Charlie walked into the room he could see the boy curled in on himself, crying and clutching onto a grey piece of fabric with all his might. Even when Charlie lied down next to Todd and put his arms around him as he had the night before, Todd grips never loosened. He simply allowed Charlie to hold him that night and never once attempted to return the favour. It wasn't until the boy was asleep that Charlie was able to get a close enough look at the piece of cloth to realize what it was. It was Neil's scarf; the one he had forgotten to take with him the night of the play.

Charlie could never truly hate Neil, but if he could now would be the time. He and Neil may have been best mates, but there was something about Todd that made people want to protect him, to take care of him. And now he had to watch as Todd stopped clinging to Charlie, to life and warmth, but instead cling to a scarf, to Neil and to memories. Charlie cried more that night than either of the previous ones. Not only had he lost one friend but he was now loosing another.

The next night followed in a similar fashion, Charlie clinging to Todd and Todd clinging to the scarf.

The night after that, Charlie was gone.

_(And then there were nine)_

John Keating saw it when he was packing up his office. His eyes locked with the boy in the front row and he silently cursed. The fire he had watched grow under his own encouragement, Mr. Anderson's friends' attention and Mr. Perry's unconditional friendship and affection was again flickering. He was reminded of when the semester had first begun and the boy had been afraid to utter even a word. The flame had been doused, no doubt, by the tears that still seemed to redden his eyes.

As he finished gathering his few belonging and walk toward the classroom door he wanted to stop and talk to his student, who continued to look so lost at him from the front row. He wanted to ask him what he could do to help, give him so words to comfort or wisdom; he wanted to do something for the child, but he knew the Headmaster would never allow it. In addition, he was reluctant to get the boy into any more trouble than he already was.

He was surprised and proud when his students at their inventive farewell; and led by Mr. Anderson of all people. Maybe there was hope yet. He looked at all the students and noticed how so many of them had changed. His time with them had been brief but he could see that they had an understanding now that they did not have on the first day of class. Keating was proud of that; it was enough for him. When he looked at Mr. Anderson again, in the boy's eye still shown a flickering flame but they were strong with defiance against the Headmaster, who continued to order them all to sit. Yes, maybe there was hope.

However, if Keating had looked again as the door closed, he would have seen the wavering flame go out completely.

_(And then there were eight)_

Knox, Pitts and Meeks all saw it over the course of the next few weeks leading up to winter break. All of them were afraid to leave Todd alone for too long and did their best to try to stay with him. They would take turns sneaking into the boy's rooms to sleep. They would always sleep in Todd's bed, for their friend had gotten to the habit of sleeping in Neil's. They were not sure if that was a good idea but Todd fervently refused to let anyone else sleep in it and they were adamant about someone staying with him, despite his protests.

All three of them tried to cheer him up and Todd would often smile and laugh, in an obvious attempt to not worry his friends. But the smile never seemed to reach his eyes and the laughs were always slightly hollow. It was also not uncommon for one of them to break into tears in the middle of doing something. It wasn't just Todd, all the boys had experienced, often with confusion, going from laughing to crying in a matter of seconds. The other boys avoided the meager remains of what once was the Dead Poets Society. Their peers did not know what to say to them or how to act since Neil's death and avoidance seemed to be the solution of choice.

Finals were approaching and projects were coming due. The boys were in constants study groups and while Todd often looks at his books his eyes never moved to show he was actually reading. This was reflected in his grades, which his friends watched continue to drop steadily from A's to B's and finally to C's.

The guys did the best they could but they couldn't seem to stop their friend's fall. They could merely slow it and hope that someone would be willing to take over for a while when winter vacation came. But the boys knew about their friend's home life and no one held their breath.

_(And then there were five)_

Cameron saw it on the last day of the semester. He was waiting for his own parents and he saw Todd and two adults he assumed were his parents. The man was waving a piece of paper in his face, presumably the boy's report card, though he was too far away to here was the man was saying. Cameron was not stupid; he knew the boy's grades had taken a nose dive since Neil's death. He also noticed how the boy had gotten thinner, if that was possible.

What surprised Cameron was the resounding smack as the old man's hand contacted with the boy's cheek. Todd did not seem surprised however and never moved. Cameron looked at the women, watched her as we turned away and headed to the car as she fished a cigarette from her purse. Todd and Mr. Anderson followed a moment later.

Cameron had never regretted his action to snitch on Keating until that moment.

_(And then there were four)_

Jeffery saw it when they got home that evening. He had been sitting in the family room reading a book when he heard the car pull into the drive. If it had been any other season he would have rushed outside to help bring the bags inside or at least to greet his family, but outside the world was covered in snow and Jeffery had never been a big fan of the cold. Besides, the fire in the family room had been lit and the house already smelled of tonight's dinner. No, Jeffery was quite content for the moment.

That was, at least, until he heard the front door opened and his family walk in. The first thing he heard was his father telling Todd in a stern voice to "go upstairs and get ready for dinner." The command wasn't worrying but his father's tone was. The man sounded angry and Jeffery was sure that he had missed a long and irate lecture during the car ride home.

He heard his mother's voice, probably trying to calm her husband down. His father never shouted but he did manage to speak in a way that caused his voice to resonate more than his wife's. He heard his father's reply loud and clear. "No, Martha. I will not calm down. This is unacceptable. This family does not get C's or D's. Jeffery got straight A's his entire time there. The boy needs to understand his responsibilities as part of this family."

Jeffery got up and was planning on following his brother up the stairs. His parent's had always been harsh on Todd, constantly comparing the smaller boy to himself. His hated how harsh his parents were on the boy and always tried to reassure his brother after arguments like these. Todd was smart too and dreadfully creative, an aspect that Jeffery himself often envied.

Besides, Jeffery knew that something had to be wrong. Even though he never got as good of grades as Jeffery, he had never heard of Todd getting a C either. His parents might not want to be there for their son but Jeffery did.

Unfortunately before he was able to make it to the stairs his father's voice stopped him. "Jeffery, come with me. We need to talk about after graduation." Jeffery was already in his 3rd year of college and his father was no doubt now going to tell him where he would be working. He had never really bothered thinking about it too much himself, realizing that no matter where he might want to work, his father would force him down a different path.

With one last sad glance to the stairs, Jeffery followed his father into the study. He would talk to his brother after dinner.

_(And then there were three)_

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson saw it when the maids scream brought them running into the upstairs bathroom, their other son quick on their heels. Todd lay slumped against the side of the bathtub. The porcelain had been half filled with warm water, though by now it was cool and red. Quick, quiet and easy clean up, so very Todd.

The two adults just stood at the door while the maid lay kneeling on the floor, crying and muttering a pray under her breath. She had been with the family for eight years and had watched the both boys grow. Mrs. Anderson's hand was shaking, taking deep drags from her cigarette. Mr. Anderson just watched the scene coolly, distantly. It was Jeffery who rushed past his parents and ran to his little brother. His grabbed his brother's shoulders and shock him, calling his name over and over, telling him to 'hold on' and to 'wake up'. Distantly he heard his father tell the maid, in a voice much too calm and composed, to call for an ambulance.

But Todd's skin was already cold and his body lifeless.

_(And then there were none)_

Everyone was saddened when Todd did not return the following semester, but no one was surprised. They had all seen it coming but that did not make the loose any easier to bear. They had all seen it but no one seemed to have been able to stop it.


End file.
